Musical Memories of Halloween

Last year, after hearing about a really neat Halloween song set to the classical work, Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens, I did some research (letting my fingers do the walking) and found an online audio clip with scratches, et al, from a recording made in 1969.  I never anticipated the number of hits I’d receive *this* year from that same post. 

Recently, in the comments section for that post, I’ve had numerous requests for the lyrics to the hands-down Halloween favorite, ‘”H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween’, so, by popular request,  included with the audio clip, here they are!

“H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween,

“H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween!

Halloween means ghosts & goblins,

Skeletons, monsters, & howling cats,

Spooky masks & jack-o-lanterns,

Witches & devils & big, black bats!

“H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween,

“H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween!

Halloween means ringing doorbells,

Scaring the people who open the door.

“Trick or treat” gets you candy and apples,

Then go to the next house and get some more.

“H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween,

“H – A – double L – O – W – double E – N” spells Halloween! 

I’ve also had several readers asking if this song is still available for purchase or download.  To the best of my knowledge, it is not available for purchase on CD or through recognizable online music sources.  The original source that I downloaded it from last year took down the link.  I imagine that the bandwidth it took for downloads was considerable and costly to that blogger. 

However, it is still available through these two sources – Dave’s World 56 which gives you the option of purchasing a Halloween CD from him, or by downloading it directly yourself as a Zip file through Megaupload.com, which is what I did last week. 

The Halloween zip file (35.9MB) also includes, besides the favorite “Halloween“, nine other tracks: The Pumpkin Tells, A Weird Happening, The Strange Three, Guess What I Am, The Halloween Dance, She’s Stuck on a Broomstick, Little Orphan Annie, Witch’s Stew, and Pass The Witch’s Broomstick.  I plan on sharing some of these ahead in the coming weeks.  You do not need an account with Megaupload to download it, but I will confess that it was an extremely confusing process for me. 

I also received an email this week from my friend and fellow Kindermusik educator, Daneille Grimes of Norcross, with this little Halloween ditty from her childhood – sung to the theme from “In The Hall of the Mountain King” from the Peer Gynt Suite  by Grieg:

On October thirty one, when the sun goes to rest.

It’s the night of Halloween when fun is at its best,

Black cats, ghosts, and princess fair,

Holding hands everywhere,

It’s the night of Halloween –

There’s magic in the air!

Witch’s shadow on the moon,

Casting spells, flying her broom,

It’s the night of Halloween -

Quick! Change to your costume!

For all you musicians out there, here’s the musical notation:

And for your listening pleasure, here’s an audio clip of the orchestral classic that provided the melody:

 

Enjoy!